Hello there Nexians. I have been following you guys for at least 8 months, and have grown fond of the wisdom of many particular members. Thanks everyone for the teks on extraction, you have brought me success. The group of people who are here amaze me. The nexus has its own regulatory ways of cutting through noise, all the more reason that every contribution is meaningful. So many things to like about this place - but I must digress for now.
Ten years ago I grew mushrooms. At that point in my life, I had experimented with a few psychedelics. I have come back to that after a long break. I have built a career, acquired property and found the right woman. These things are highly sought after or at least pressure people to get them in the western world. These things have brought stability of my own accord that I didn't have in years prior. I have a strong desire to look inward. Living a modern life can put us out of touch of ourselves, and it certainly has for me. There is more to life than just going to work and acquiring junk until we die. I am finding that in the last few months of consuming mushrooms/lsd/dmt that the secrets of joy are so much simpler than what this society chalks up to as what you need to be happy. And while I still enjoy modern comforts, I am finding new ways to not be stressed by the daily grind. Obsessive little tangents are being kept at bay better. Brooding hostility in working relationships is becoming more of a one way deal, I am just disengaging.
I find it unfair to compare psychedelics to other 'drugs', they are only technically so by a rather broad definition. I find many psychedelics to be great allies. There are lessons to be had, if you care to listen. Ten years ago the only message I got was to quit smoking. I've accomplished that. Getting a bit older and coming back there seems to be so many more lessons. It has been challenging, not every trip has been bliss and roses. The difficult ones have been the ones that really changed behaviors for the better. But really, bliss and roses are great, are they not?
When I'm not being a slave, I enjoy many things. Hiking is really a big one, always has been always will be. I am not sure how specific I should be about where I am at, but I will just say I live near tourist destination for hiking
My backyard is quite a nice spot for hiking, a good chunk of land with an insane network of trails. You can get lost pretty easy, but if you just keep moving it lets you out somewhere eventually (this is important if everything has turned cartoony). We trip there a lot, because it is absolutely perfect and nearby.
I would like to share a story that integrates to the way I view psychedelics.
The area I live in seems to be crawling with spirit activity. Now, I'd seen orbs and shadow people in years prior, but not with any frequency whatsoever. A few years ago, a sequence of events had played out that led to some major freak-outs late at night. At first I didn't even believe my wife but one day I started getting molested by whatever was in here with us. During these years I only ever smoked pot. We got tired of being messed with night after night, and reached out for help. The Catholic church pretty much sent us packing back to a powerful poltergeist. A friend had had a workshop with a shaman, and gave us a reference. A shaman? I was about to be floored.
When this lady showed up, my views on psychics changed forever. Up to this point I had only encountered very obvious frauds. I saw divination abilities that blew my mind. The rituals we engaged in seemed alien. Power animal retrieval and a soul retrieval. We convinced an unruly mob of angry entities to leave. But a few remained. Some of them were people we knew, but a couple of them simply refer to themselves as 'ancestors'. No, they aren't our biological ancestors, or even native ancestors for that matter. Whatever they are, that is all they refer to themselves as. We had to cut a deal with them to keep the area clear of chaotic spirits. As we have learned, this area has something about it that draws a lot of traffic both good and bad. Our friendly shaman had to visit more than once. Every new moon we have to put out tobacco, and if we don't things start to get weird. I'm a day late, and will be putting it out after I finish writing. Our neighbors on both sides have had similar issues, and called pschics of their own.
Ultimately only the ancestors remain as friendly entities with their own interests. They don't care much about humans, unless we are giving them an offering and they are extending us their protection. They have demonstrated they are extremely powerful, though they are 99% indifferent. I am willing to accept that this is a very complex psychological condition that we have as well as half of our neighbors and all of our friends who come here. It could be possible that we have a contagious form of hysteria. Not everyone witnesses spirits around here though, some people are immune. But for the sake of flow, I am not going to write from that standpoint. We have been interacting with these entities for years without any kind of entheogens. Now that we have partaken in psilocybin, LSD and DMT we seem to have gained greater understandings about what is going on. The orbs are so much brighter when we trip. And the power animals that our shaman retrieved? They have been witnessed in hyperspace.
I am open to all theories as to the nature of this universe. Exploration is really all we are doing, playing shaman is a game we know is well above our abilities. We aren't hippies at this household, we are ordinary urban people living a somewhat alternative lifestyle. You would think we were boring while we wear our masks in the city.
I look forward to showing off extractions and grows. Sharing experiences and commenting on others. After all, I've only been lurking for 8 months.
Long live the Nexus!